Working in the Financial District, I encounter all sorts of people from programmers looking for a sugar fix to the CEO treating their staff just because. (She needs to be my boss.)
Earlier, I met a woman who simply wanted to browse. Literally. I offered her a sample to which she kindly declined. I knew right then she was sizing up the place. We got into a small chat. She told me she had a staff member who would bring treats from the bakery. She loved what she had, so she wanted to see the place for herself.
At that moment, I decided to share the story of the bakery, something I don’t usually do. It’s a story that dated back five years ago when an accountant, who had a fondness and nostalgia for baked goods, walked by a vacant flower kiosk. She was immediately compelled to buy it, so she quit her well paying job and sold breakfast goods in the morning and fresh cookies in the afternoon. All by herself. Five years later, she has two locations, a list of orders, a full staff and still keeps the kiosk. Why? Well, for reasons other than the fact it’s well known, it’s where it all began. She said she’d never trade her kiosk because that little dome is what made her decide to start a bakery.
The woman was taken back. She said, “I really loved that story. I admire your baker’s tenacity and hard work. Thank you so much for sharing that. I run a law firm here, and we’re always looking for baked goods for meetings and events. We would love to support this bakery.”
I thank her for listening. She glances at the samples and says, “You know what? I will take a sample.” She takes a bite and throws her hand in the air. One word. Sublime. She leans in and says with a smile, “You now have an official customer.”
As she walked away, I was reminded that people will support the dream when they see you take the leap, because that, in itself, takes a lot of courage. Also, we should all tell people what we’re pursuing. Don’t hide it. You’ll never know what advise or help they could give you,because there are people like this woman who will support the dream.
BeChoozy 